FCMA MedNotes - CT Paid Leave and Disability Insurance

February 10, 2022

Celebrating 230 Years

1792 - 2022

TOGETHER WE ARE THE FCMA

Does Short Term Disability Still Make Sense?

Now that Connecticut’s Paid Family Leave (CT-PFML) has gone into effect as of January 1, 2022, many Connecticut employers are left to wonder if they should continue with Short Term Disability Insurance (STD) for their employees. After all, CT-PFML provides employees with partial pay when taking leave to care for family members and/or their own serious health needs. So, does STD still make sense? Yes, but not quite as much as before. And, should your premium and STD benefit be adjusted? Full Articl e

Governor Lamont Seek Extension of his Emergency Powers

Governor Ned Lamont is seeking to have 11 civil preparedness and public health emergency mandates extended by the General Assembly when his emergency powers expire on Feb. 15. The declarations have been extended multiple times since March 2020. The proposed extended mandates would cover areas such as masks, out-of-network coverage for COVID-19 immunizations, and vaccination of long term care and state hospital employees to mention just a few.

“Implementing the No Surprises Act”

The January 20 AMA webinar, “Implementing the No Surprises Act,” is now available on the AMA website. Learn more in the latest AMA toolkit, “Preparing for implementation of the No Surprises Act” and read more about the No Surprises Act and related activity on the AMA website.

In addition, for those who were unable to the February 1 webinar on the "Federal No Surprises Act – One month in. What have we learned? sponsored by the Association’s general counsel, Garfunkel Wild, we have uploaded the presentation here. You can also listen to and view the full webinar on Garfunkel Wild's YouTube channel here.

How to Move Forward Following the OSHA ETS Block

In mid-January, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled to halt OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS).

This article provides more information about the current status of the OSHA ETS and ongoing COVID-19 safety considerations for employers.

Click the button below to read more.

OSHA ETS BLOCK

More Provider Relief Fund Payments Coming

HHS has announced that it will soon be disbursing an additional $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments. These new payments, like those allocated in December, will be based on lost revenues and increased expenses due to COVID–19, and will be made to physicians who previously applied for relief funds. For smaller providers, HHS will reimburse a larger share of losses and increased expenses. More information is available here.

AmeriCares Free Clinics Need Ophthalmologist for Screening Referrals

AmeriCares Free Clinics (AFC), located in Norwalk, Danbury, Bridgeport and Stamford, are seeking local Ophthalmology Practices to see their patients for needed consultations. AFC has been providing quality outpatient care to low income, uninsured residents of Fairfield County since 1994. Targeting those with chronic disease, diabetes is one of the most common conditions seen. Screening for diabetic retinopathy is done on site with a retinal camera and the images are interpreted by a volunteer ophthalmologist. We need your help to provide free or low cost consultations to those needing a referral based on imaging results.

Please contact AFC to discuss further at tmccartney@americares.org